The conventional hood hair dryer is outdated for many hair drying applications.
Instead, it is being used primarily as a means to direct heat energy to the hair--in other words, to warm the hair and not necessarily to dry it. When heat is applied with a hair conditioner, hair coloring, or a perm, the styling and conditioning of the hair is enhanced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,052 (Hodgman) discloses a face guard for use with a hooded hair dryer. The face guard is secured about the forehead and is retained onto the back of the head by hook-and-loop fasteners. A first portion of the face guard covers the forehead, eyes, and nose and opposing second portions cover the ears protecting such features from excess heat exhausted from the hair dryer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,744 (Myers) discloses a neck and face shield to be worn by a person while sitting under a hood-type hair dryer. The shield includes a visor extending around its perimeter so that most of the heat is deflected from the exhausted air away from the face and neck of the patron. The shield is also adjustable with hook-and-loop type fasteners to fit onto heads of various shapes and sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,404 (Terrell) discloses an attachable quick dry diffuser complete with a drawstring and hook-and-loop type fasteners which provide adjustment means for various head sizes. The apparatus prevents overheating of the head and face, and reduces drying processing time thereby saving energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,772 (Dickson) discloses a hair dryer hood conduit which fits onto a person's head and minimnizes heat loss. The conduit includes roll-up coverings disposed about the conduit which cover screens to enable temperature adjustment, and a temperature sensor is optional.
While head covers have been used to cover the hair of the patron, these head covers are generally used to enable an even distribution of heat to be applied to all hair to be treated. Such covers have substantial heat losses and can cause substantial discomfort to the wearer.
What is needed is a device that will minimize the amount of time needed to heat the patron's hair while not wasting heat energy.
What is needed is a device that will be comfortable to the patron and will reduce the noise level during use.
What is needed is a device that is adjustable for various head sizes and fully adaptable for patrons of varying heights.
What is needed is a device that is readily disposable thereby preventing the spread of disease from patron to patron.
What is needed is a device that is easy to use and will not dry the patron's hair.
What is needed is a device that is inexpensive to make, that is made from conventional materials, and that is disposable after use by each patron for sanitation purposes.